Gonzaga has star in Morrison

Junior battles diabetes, leads nation in scoring for No. 9 Bulldogs

Published 4:30 am, Sunday, December 11, 2005

SPOKANE, WASH. - The first time Gonzaga's Adam Morrison touched the ball in a college basketball game, he dribbled the length of the Madison Square Garden floor to score on Saint Joseph's in 2003.

He's been scoring ever since for No. 9 Gonzaga, and led the nation with an average of 29 points per game after Thursday night's 67-53 win over Washington State.

A preseason All-America, Morrison is being compared to Larry Bird and Pete Maravich.

But the 6-foot-8 Morrison has learned he must be more than a gunner.

Call it the education of Adam Morrison, and the schooling of his opponents.

"He has matured," coach Mark Few said. "He's recognizing there are other parts that are somewhat as important to his game as scoring."

Morrison may be scoring more than a third of his team's points, but as team leader he also must worry about defense, rebounding and distributing the ball to teammates. A diabetic, he takes care to stay in shape to ensure he doesn't run out of gas as the season progresses.

After dropping 34 points to lift the Zags to a tough win over Portland State in late November, Morrison criticized himself in the locker room for getting only three rebounds.

Not that Portland State noticed.

"Every time he shot it, it seemed like it went in," Vikings guard Ryan Sommer said. "You can't do anything about it."

But he says comparisons with Bird, with whom he shares a high-release jump shot, and Pistol Pete Maravich, who led the nation in scoring for three straight seasons, are overstated.

"Those are two Hall of Famers. I'm just a college guy here," Morrison said.

In a tough loss last weekend at No. 13 Washington, Morrison tied his career high with 43 points, making 18 of 29 shots despite the full attention of Washington's defense.

"He's the best offensive basketball player since Carmelo Anthony," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. "Not only that, Adam Morrison is a winner. He's relentless out there."